What Lies Ahead for ALPINA? Insights from BMW's Design Chief

The Future of ALPINA Under BMW's Wing
It’s been nearly three years since the BMW Group expanded to include the ALPINA brand. However, until the end of 2025, it’s business as usual for the Buchloe-based niche marque. That is when the existing agreement between the two luxury brands expires. What will happen starting 2026? We spoke with the BMW Group’s Head of Design, Adrian Van Hooydonk, about what the future holds for ALPINA.

Staying True to ALPINA's Ethos
Adrian Van Hooydonk reassures ALPINA fans that there won’t be radical changes to the brand’s modus operandi. The BMW Group wants to continue the tradition of having ALPINA cars complement the regular vehicles carrying the famous roundel. He ruled out turning the low-volume automaker into an extension of the M lineup. Instead, future models will focus on luxury in a refined way. He mentioned that upcoming cars will not be as track-focused as M models but will still deliver performance.

The BMW Group has been hinting at pushing ALPINA upmarket. The intent is to bridge the gap between the fanciest BMWs and the “cheaper” Rolls-Royce models. Adrian is confident that future ALPINAs will not clash with cars from the ultra-luxury British brand, emphasizing that there will be nothing shared between ALPINAs and Rolls-Royces.

“It was always called BMW ALPINA, and that’s what it’s going to stay, but it will definitely add something to a BMW.”

Future Models and Electric Transition
While Adrian Van Hooydonk was tight-lipped about specific future products, there are whispers about the B7 making a comeback in a couple of years, following the release of the 7 Series LCI. ALPINA will focus on the largest BMW models, which means cars like the B3 and XD3 are unlikely to be renewed.

An electric model is inevitable, even though ALPINA studies revealed that customers are not currently interested in EVs. Stricter emissions regulations mean the BMW-owned brand will have to comply. The first zero-emission model is likely to be based on the next-generation X7 (G67), and the fully electric iX7 could spawn an iX7 ALPINA 100 on the CLAR platform.

Watch the exclusive interview with Adrian Van Hooydonk discussing BMW’s next innovations and the future of ALPINA.